WAILUKU >> Jandon Perreira permitted just one run on two hits in five innings as Saint Louis stifled MIL champion Kamehameha-Maui 6-1 on Friday night at Iron Maehara Stadium.
Saint Louis (19-8-1) will meet BIIF champion Waiakea today in the Division I championship game of the Wally Yonamine Foundation/HHSAA Baseball State Championships. Saint Louis was deemed the third-place team in the ILH by the league’s tiebreaker. Waiakea spent most of the season chasing Kamehameha-Hawaii before beating the Warriors in the BIIF title game.
“I tell these kids, we’ve got to believe in ourselves and believe in each other. When we’re down, we’ve got to get everybody up. It’s been great, especially with the fans here, too. All the support from the families, friends, alumnus. I know it gets the kids going,” Saint Louis coach Benny Agbayani said.
Shortstop Bruin Agbayani continued his offensive tear through the state tourney, going 4-for-4 with a triple, a double, two stolen bases, two runs scored and one RBI.
“It was a team effort. Everybody did their job. I just wanted to get on base. We have all these good hitters on our team just producing runs,” the shortstop said. “This guy (Perreira) did a heck of a job pitching.”
Perreira’s fastball and slider were on point. He struck out one and walked three before yielding to sophomore Trycen Kaimiola, who replaced Perreira in the bottom of the sixth and faced the minimum six batters.
“It’s just at practice, we’re always working on our location and hitting our spots. I trust my coaches and I trust my defense,” said Perreira, a junior.
The Crusaders’ hurlers have consistently improved through a rugged preseason and ILH schedule.
“We have a young pitching staff. We tell them, you’ve got to challenge yourselves. When we call your number and give you the ball, give it the best you can,” coach Agbayani said. “We’re very fortunate that Kevin Fujioka has been helping them, especially with the mental aspect. They’re young, naive and they want to learn.”
Led by veteran coach Shane Dudoit, KS-Maui (17-6-1) is in the midst of its finest baseball season. This was the Warriors’ first trip to the semifinals, and the Crusaders kept KS-Maui’s devoted fans subdued for most of the evening.
The Warriors broke the ice in the bottom of the first inning. Bransyn Hong led off with a double to left and advanced to third base on an errant pickoff throw by Perreira.
After Zaiyah Madamba-Barrozo struck out, Isaac Gosselin sent a grounder to shortstop, where Bruin Agbayani’s error allowed Hong to score for a 1-0 KS-Maui lead.
Saint Louis answered in the top of the second. Chase Sutherland led off with a walk and Laakea Correa also walked. Shea Yamaguchi’s sacrifice bunt moved the runners over, and sophomore Drake Kenui followed with a line-drive single to center, scoring courtesy runner Micah Alcisto to tie the game at 1.
After Kenui stole second base, Saint Louis had two runners in scoring position. Aycen Fernandez’s groundout to shortstop allowed Correa to score from third base for a 2-1 Saint Louis lead.
Kahanu Martinez sent a sky-high fly ball to left that sliced away from the left fielder, Teyvon Kahalewai, who dropped the ball at the wall. Kenui scored to open the Crusaders’ lead to 3-1.
After a wild pitch by Josiah Kaya-Medeiros, Bruin Agbayani tripled off the right-field wall, scoring Kenui to give Saint Louis a 4-1 cushion.
The Crusaders kept the pressure on, loading the bases in the top of the third. With the bases loaded and one out, but Kaya-Medeiros buckled down and struck out Kenui, then retired Fernandez on a fielder’s choice grounder to end the threat.
In the fifth, Agbayani manufactured a run for the Crusaders. He singled to right and stole second base. With Mana Heffernan still at the plate, Agbayani stole third base. Catcher Duke Aloy’s throw missed its target and rolled down the line, allowing Agbayani to score easily for a 5-1 Saint Louis lead.
Perreira faced some adversity in the bottom of the fourth when KS-Maui had two runners on base. He retired Kaiolohia Kang on a fly ball to left to end the inning.
Agbayani led off the top of the seventh with a single, his fourth hit, and advanced to third base on a perfectly-executed hit-and-run by Mana Heffernan. Ka‘ili Kane’s sacrifice fly to left brought Agbayani home from third base with an insurance run.
Division II
Kapaa 2, Kapolei 1, 8 innings
Kaitin Mundon took the ninth pitch he saw for a bases-loaded walk and the Warriors beat the Hurricanes 2-1 in eight innings at Les Murakami Stadium.
Kapolei starting pitcher Kajih Rego started the bottom of the eighth by hitting the first two batters he faced despite allowing no walks and only two hits through seven innings and was lifted for shotstop Keaka Alana. Alana gave up a bunt single to load the sacks and then jumped out to a 1-2 count before Mundon took a ball, fouled off three pitches and then took two more to walk it off.
Kapolei took a 1-0 lead in the third on an RBI by Peyton Hilacion, but Kapaa tied it on the sixth when Sonny Thomas singled and eventually scored on a wild pitch.
Mondon took the mound in the seventh inning and earned the victory to send Kapaa to its first state final.
Damien 6, Waianae 0
Max DeTrinis threw a shutout on 96 pitches and the Monarchs returned to the championship game for the fourth straight year.
DeTrinis scattered four hits and gave up three walks in his gem and was up 4-0 before he gave up his first baserunner thanks to a big second inning fueled by a double by Nainoa Begonia and a single by Makana Freitas.
Kamren Atanes led the Seariders, who lost to Damien 2-1 in last year’s semifinals, with two hits.
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DIVISION II
Friday
Consolation Semifinals
G5: Seabury Hall 4, Honokaa 2
G6: Farrington 4, Pahoa 1
Semifinals
G7: Kapaa 2, Kapolei 1, 8 inn.
G8: Damien 6, Waianae 0
Today
Consolation
G9: Seabury Hall vs. Farrington, 1 p.m.
Third Place
G10: Kapolei vs. Waianae, 7 p.m.
Final
Game 11: Kapaa vs. Damien, 4 p.m
